Director of Academic Advising and Skills, Law School

Vanderbilt University•Nashville, TN

17h•Onsite

About The Position

The Director of Academic Advising and Skills leads the Law School's work in providing students with both academic advising and opportunities for skill development, as required by the American Bar Association’s (ABA) Standard 309. The program offers individual advising, a library of resources, small group workshops, and large group presentations, to all Law School students. In addition, the Director leads the Academic Fellows program and supervises the Academic Fellows—upper-level students who provide peer academic support through office hours and other programming throughout the year. The Director also leads the remediation process for students at risk of falling below good standing, and serves on the Board of Professional Responsibility’s efforts to address reported failures of professional comportment. Pending approval by law faculty, this position may also be required to teach law courses. Common issues that arise relate to: course selection with regard to both anticipated practice areas and bar exam success, planning a balanced schedule, critical reading skills, time management methods, outlining, exam preparation and writing, and exam review. The Director must be prepared to provide responsive and authoritative advice to students in each of these, and related, areas. This position reports administratively and functionally to the Assistant Dean for Student Life and Building Operations and Dean of Students.

Requirements

A Juris Doctor is necessary.
At least 5 years of experience directly related to the duties and responsibilities specified, or equivalent experience in translatable work is necessary.
Experience providing student-centered vision and leadership within a higher education setting; knowledge of strategic planning and research needed to support student success is necessary.
Ability to communicate effectively in written and oral forms is necessary.
Knowledge of academic culture, policies, and procedures is necessary.
Knowledge of student support services is necessary.
Ability to exhibit a positive attitude and to collaborate with coworkers, students, faculty and staff tactfully and courteously in order to maintain effective service-oriented relationships is necessary.
Ability to communicate effectively and follow oral and written instructions is necessary.
Strong collaboration, innovation, and leadership skills are necessary.
Ability to influence without direct line authority is necessary.
Understanding and awareness of the needs of various student populations is necessary.
Ability to work independently, to identify and implement innovative strategies, to assess effectiveness in meeting strategic planning goals to increased student retention and success is necessary.
Excellent customer service skills are necessary.

Responsibilities

Ensuring all students have the skills necessary to effectively navigate course work and professional expectations at the law school.
Designing and presenting a comprehensive series of workshops and other resources to teach academic skills with special attention to how those skills translate into the practice of law.
Advising students on course selection to support their academic and professional goals.
Working with students individually to diagnose academic weaknesses and develop tailored strategies for improvement.
Intervening when students are at risk of falling below the minimum GPA threshold to ensure every effort is made to support the student’s progress.
Reviewing student improvement plans, setting additional deadlines, and maintaining contact with students as necessary.
Serving on the Board of Professional Responsibility and leading efforts to review and adjudicate alleged violations of Professionalism Expectations.
Ensuring institutional compliance with ABA Standard 309.
Training Academic Fellows and supervising the Academic Fellows Program.
Ensuring effective communication with the student body regarding Fellows’ programming.
Designing and implementing programming related to academic and professional skills including: orientation sessions on habit formation and legal writing; critical reading; time management; outlining and review; issue-spotting strategies; exam writing strategies; exam review.
Developing and maintaining a comprehensive library of written academic resources for students.
Evaluating students’ processes to identify individual strengths and weaknesses, and helping them develop tools to overcome obstacles and meet personal goals with measurable achievement.
Identifying students each semester who may benefit from individual advising based on student performance and other qualitative criteria that indicate a need for support, and offering the same.
Establishing and implementing short- and long-range goals, objectives, policies, and operating procedures related to academic and professional skills development efforts.
Monitoring and evaluating operational effectiveness and directing change required for improvement.
Communicating to students about resources relevant at particular times of the semester.
Building relationships with faculty and student organization leaders to increase use and visibility of the program.